Friday, April 23, 2010

The Betty Crocker Project : Turtle Cheesecake

Vegan fudge sauce, pecans, Oreo cookie crust & cheesecake. . . and wait for it. . . CARAMEL! Technology has come a long way from my early days of compassionate living. Sometimes I get that nostalgia often reserved for veterans of foreign wars or grandparents raised during the The Great Depression when I think about that first year of figuring out what was derived from animals and what wasn't. I had to learn words like Casein and Rennet. No one was really on the internet for much more than email then and I lived off Dr.Pepper and baked potatoes for the better part of year. I can't help but feel a little jealous of how easy kids these days have it. . . with their melty faux cheeses and Italian sausages . . . and now you can make your own CARAMEL!

1/2 a bag of Vegan Chocolate Chips ( I use Ghirardelli - but there are lots of others)

1/2 cup of Sugar

1 Tablespoon Margarine

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

In a sauce pan, heat at medium heat Creamer, Chocolate and Sugar til it starts to boil. Remove from heat and whisk in Margarine and Vanilla until the mix is smooth and creamy. Let sauce cool for 30 minutes. NOTE : If you put it in the fridge - it gets firm - like fudge.

In a saucepan, heat Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar and Margarine to a boil over low heat - Stir constantly. Boil for 5 minutes, Stir occasionally. Stir in Creamer. Then remove from heat and let cool.

Back to CHEESECAKE :
Heat oven to 300.

Combine Cream Cheese, Sour Cream and Sugar in a bowl. Mix using a hand mixer til smooth. Add Vanilla, Flour and Egg Replacer and mix for about a minute. Make sure there are no clumps of flour. Pour into the Oreo Crust.

Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. Check the center to make sure it solid with a toothpick. Pull it out when the cheesecake is solid to the touch and passes the toothpick test . . . another clue is when the top starts to crack a little - pulling from the sides.

Cool on a wire rack for around an hour and then add Pecans, Hot Fudge and Caramel.

Refrigerate overnight and SUIT UP! Turtle Cheesecake is going to be LEGENDARY!

Actually the Oreo crust is vegan and so are many of the Oreo products. You can find them on here but if you don't trust us - check the packages. . . Some do have gelatin in the frosting but most don't.

You can always use Agave Nectar for the Corn Syrup but you'll need to melt the Margarine and Brown Sugar first before adding the Agave Nectar and not boil it. . Agave Nectar can get taste weird if it has boiled (just my experience).

How come Vegan's, whom are so caring to the well being of our fuzzy friends, can be so bitchy to one another? Read labels! If you're unsure of sugar or think that it's bad, don't eat it.But please, don't rain on a chocolaty parade that's been dotted with caramel and pecan for the rest of us, ok?Way to go, Annie on veganizing a classic masterpiece of delectable confectionery!

I just found out about The Betty Crocker Project via Jack Shepherd on Buzzfeed (http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/veganizing-betty-crocker) and I have to say, this is amazing. I'm not vegan (yet - I still have a-tough-to-break-addiction to some cheese), but my wonderful partner and I are hoping that if we try some of your recipes we'll be able to make the transition! This is an amazing project; thank you so much for doing it!

I don't mind helping those that are searching for the right type of food. I've been there done that.What kind of Ghiradelli is vegan? The semi-sweet choco chips are vegan. I buy mine at Walmart for 3 bucks. It's cheaper than whole foods and any other place I've seen.

Nabisco Oreo cookies are vegan. I would constantly check the ingredients all the time in everything that is "accidentally vegan". Especially in this economy, companies are searching for less expensive components (raw material) to make things. I use to work for a candle company that use to make soy candles and now use tallow (animal fat) cos it's cheaper. .10 per pound. I was the one ordering the animal fat so I know.

It was brought to our attention that the Oreo Crust listed here has recently started including Whey - SO - I checked it out and made a call to the number on the website.

As of May 1, 2010 - the Oreo Pie Crust does now have Whey. The Oreo cookies in the USA do not and the nice customer service woman I spoke to encouraged anyone willing to send a polite email to : http://www.nabiscoworld.com/misccontent/contactus/contact.aspx?m=cu_form1

I have a corn allergy and I use Lundberg ECO Farmed sweet dreams Brown Rice syrup. It is an excellent replacement for corn syrup is gluten and wheat free and vegan. Ingredients: Eco farmed Brown rice and pure filtered water

I just love this blog. Thanks for the recipe, this cheesecake looks amazing and oh so decadent. Instead of the Oreo crust, which is no longer vegan, one could use the Wholly Wholesome brand found at most Whole Foods. They make a chocolate cookie crust and a graham cracker crust that are both vegan. To the poster above, thank you for the brown rice syrup tip. I have a jar that's been sitting in my fridge forever, I may have to use it to make this recipe!